Mudiad Meithrin share its vision for Welsh-medium Education in Powys

Thursday 13 August

Mudiad Meithrin's work is affected by a range of policies relevant to childcare, the early years and education and isn't limited to the nursery sector alone. Parental choice concerning their children's future educational journey is impacted by the range of options available to them in the primary sector, the secondary sector and beyond. With that in mind, on Thursday August 6, Mudiad Meithrin launched a document which encapsulates its vision for education in the Eisteddfod catchment which, broadly speaking, is north Powys or Montgomeryshire.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Carys Gwyn (regional manager for Mudiad Meithrin in the north east / mid Wales) said:

"At close proximity to the Eisteddfod Field, we have 17 cylchoedd meithrin (Welsh-medium playgroups), 18 cylchoedd Ti a Fi (Welsh-medium adult and toddler groups) along with private nurseries that follow Mudiad Meithrin policies. We are keen to develop, extend and enhance our provisions by offering more services to parents and families e.g. by increasing available childcare hours in our cylchoedd."

Mudiad Meithrin Chief Executive, Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies added:

"With the huge increase in the number of children attending designated Welsh-medium primaries and the increasing demand for designated Welsh-medium secondaries, we see great potential for the Welsh-medium sector. In addition, independent studies (by auditors 'Price Waterhouse Coopers' for instance) predict an increase of 50% in the demand for Welsh-medium education. We support the call for an unbroken cycle of Welsh-medium education from the nursery to the secondary sector and beyond as part of the Council's Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP). At the same time, we call on representatives from the Further Education sector - such as the NPTC group - to increase and extend their Welsh-medium provision."

A poster encapsulating the vision for Welsh-medium education in north Powys was launched at 3.00 on Thursday, August 6 at Mudiad Meithrin's stand on the National Eisteddfod Field in Meifod.